Because Scotland has been willing to invest in high speed rail infrastructure, people are willing to use it. In fact, a new report from Transform Scotland (and sponsored by Virgin Rail) has found a growth …
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Japan Railways plans helpful station robots (Rocket News 24)
Japan Railways wants to build a team of robots to help travelers, catch criminals in its stations. On July 5 East Japan Railways announced the formation of JRE Robotics Station. While that may sound like …
Continue readingNew Lost & Found Technologies (Railway Technology)
Third-party start-ups are trying to take the lost and found process online. In late May, Arriva Trains Wales, supported by the UK’s Rail Delivery Group (RDG), completed a two-month trial with FindMyLost, a nascent lost …
Continue readingMontréal to use Pedestrian Arches during Road Construction (Next City)
While the city of Montréal embarks on a massive, four-year project to replace aging pipes and boost pedestrian- and bike-safety on one of its main commercial streets, enormous inflatable arches will keep pedestrians away from …
Continue readingIs road investment the route to local economic growth? (Centre for Cities)
Evidence suggests that the local economic benefits of road infrastructure are less than clear. Last month the Government announced a £1 billion-a-year plan to relieve congestion, including a bypass fund to take traffic around cities …
Continue readingPrivatised industry, nationalised TOC brands (Transport Designed)
The changing and potentially not-so-changing face of UK rail branding. The government (and therefore the tax payer) still own all the stations and track (through Network Rail) and the ROSCOs (rolling stock operating company) own …
Continue readingAutomatic braking, audible warnings trial for London buses (IET)
London’s red buses are to be equipped with new safety technology including automatic braking, audible warning systems and new mirrors as part of a trial aimed at improving safety. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan set …
Continue readingLet’s do the Barnes Dance (Governing)
“Pedestrian scrambles” surged in popularity half a century ago. Some places are bringing them back. In a “pedestrian scramble,” vehicle traffic is stopped and pedestrians can cross the street in any direction. You’re on a …
Continue readingWhat’s Beneath New York City (Bloomberg)
Subterranean cartographers are bringing to light the dark, tangled truths buried under the streets. Before a single raindrop fell, Alan Leidner knew the waters could rise and throw the city into darkness. On this point, …
Continue readingThe price of jams, & making them pay (Economist)
How and why road-pricing will happen – As ride-sharing and electric cars take off, governments are seeking new ways to make drivers pay. In 1868 the world’s first traffic light was installed outside the Houses …
Continue readingWorn-out Lithium-Ion Batteries (Digital Journal)
What do we do when the product wears out? Such is the case with lithium-ion batteries. The Guardian addresses the issue of dealing with lithium-ion batteries, now that the electric vehicle market has gathered momentum …
Continue readingCapturing regenerative train energy to power buses (Railway Gazette)
Later this year Dutch company Hedgehog Applications is to undertake a pilot project in Apeldoorn which will use a large battery to store energy regenerated by braking electric trains and use it to recharge electric …
Continue readingThames Clippers to trial Gravesend – London commuter service (On the Thames)
Gravesend commuters will get the chance to try travelling to London and back by boat in a four day trial next month. Thames Clippers will be running the trial service from Gravesend town pier into …
Continue readingUK third-generation trains (Railway Technology)
It has been argued that while the UK rail industry is now introducing rolling stock that is more advanced than ever, the time has come to focus on pushing the envelope even further with pioneering …
Continue readingBig Solutions proposed for Penn’s Problems (Gotham Gazette)
The original Penn Station was an architectural masterpiece. The most ironic part about removing it in a “monumental act of vandalism,” though, is that as a transit facility the original Penn Station had serious flaws. …
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